Making New Space: Clear the Clutter in Your Life

Nothing brings better feng shui than a well-ordered household. Returning to a home that is visibly well-organized and free of clutter soothes the soul, lightens your energy and gives you such a good feeling that you wonder why you do not make more of an effort to clear clutter on a more regular basis.

From a feng shui perspective, clearing clutter is making space for great things to come. Eliminating clutter can cut down housework by as much as 43%, it enhances happiness levels, and it is also a great way to reduce stress. The home looks more serene and feels more welcoming, and there is then actually space for new luck to enter into your life.

1 VISIBLE CLUTTER

Let’s start with visible clutter, the stuff you can see. Old newspapers and magazines, clothing carelessly tossed onto chairs, souvenirs from past trips and a host of other things can pile up everywhere when you ignore their presence. And then they dominate your space so much that just seeing them gives you a headache. In no time at all, you can become convinced that clearing your space just takes too much effort… and so the clutter piles up. Can this bring you good luck?

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A cluttered room creates obstacles in your life, blocks good things from coming to you, causes you to lose clients, miss out on that promotion you were banking on, and prevents you from sifting the good from the bad. Nothing brings greater bad luck than putting up with household disorder. Remember that feng shui is about keeping your physical space pleasing and soothing. Your surroundings affect your sense of contentment and they influence the kind of energies that flow your way.

It is thus important to clear whatever clutter there is before it is allowed to build up. Go room by room. Be stern with yourself. Get rid of everything that is no longer useful to you. Make a pile of things you want to give away. Focus on your living and work areas and on your bedrooms, as these are the parts of your home that affect your wellbeing the most. Start immediately and you will surprise yourself with how good you feel just clearing your space of stuff you really will not ever miss! Simplify your life and make it easy for good fortune to make its way to you.

2 NOSTALGIC CLUTTER

Do not allow yourself to get distracted. Mentally evaluate what you are up against. While your apartment may look sparkling clean, with the walls bright and the sunshine streaming in, all the stuff on your table, sideboard, drawers and even on the floor is creating a film of unwanted energy around you. Get tough and get rid of all the nostalgic items you no longer need or even notice. Go through your cupboards for things you kept because they remind you of some past moment. It is time to let go. Examples are old lecture notes, text books, gifts from former school friends you don’t even keep in touch with anymore, furniture that is falling to pieces borrowed ages ago from your parents, etc. Nostalgia is wonderful when you are young, but by the time you grow up, you really should move on! So start letting go of “nostalgic” clutter.

3 BARGAIN CLUTTER

These are the totally unnecessary handbags, shoes, shirts, accessories, belts, pins acquired not because you particularly liked them but just because they had been on sale and seemed such great value at the time. Be aware of bargain phobia and rid your home of this kind of clutter. And try to resist picking up things you will never use just because they are on sale!

4 MISTAKE PURCHASE CLUTTER

This is similar to bargain clutter. This is the stuff you pick up that turn out to be mistakes. Clothes that do not fit properly, that are unflattering, or that are made of hard-to-wear material, do not deserve space in your cabinets. While it may be difficult to throw away or give away items that are literally brand new, do it, before your mistake purchase clutter becomes bad-luck-bringing clutter.

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5 FREEBIE CLUTTER

These are the free gifts you have accumulated over the years. Office giveaways, recycled presents dumped on you by well-meaning friends, things you accepted from relatives or neighbours simply because they were free even though you didn’t need them. Just last week, we opened a whole cabinet in the kitchen stored with cheap undrinkable wine that had accumulated over the past few years’ dinner presents from friends, that were kept for no real reason at all. It felt good throwing the lot away!

6 SHAPELESS CLOTHES CLUTTER

These are clothes that build up when you put on weight. Examples are loose yoga pants you can get into but make you look frumpy, extra large tee-shirts that do nothing to hide your bulk, oversize ponchos that make you look fatter than you actually are, stuff you thought would make you look good but create exactly the opposite effect. Not only do they add to your cupboard clutter, they are a negative reminder of how you don’t want to look. Who needs stuff like that? Get rid of your shapeless clothes! Do not wait until you lose weight to do so. Because even while they are comfortable, they do not make you look or feel good about yourself.

7 WARDROBE CLUTTER

These are party dresses, pants, suits, tops and jackets which don’t fit anymore because of your changing body shape over the years. They are also items of clothing that you bought a long time ago, thus just don’t wear anymore. Don’t allow your wardrobe to get overstuffed. It is so much nice to have your dresses hang comfortably on your cupboard rods, gliding smoothly as you pick up your clothes. This actually makes it appear you have more clothes, as you will find that you can actually find things then! Every woman should clear their wardrobe clutter at least once a year! You will surely gloat with glee when you can survey your new roomy cupboard for new purchases each time you do so!

8 EMOTIONAL CLUTTER

This kind of clutter is the hardest to get rid of… the emotional stuff. Things that remind you of someone dear, that bring back good memories of some special moment, or that used to symbolize all your aspirations. Emotional clutter takes many different shapes and forms. For years I could not bring myself to throw away the three cupboards full of plush toys I had bought for Jennifer when she was young, or give away her collection of My Little Ponies. I asked her if she wanted them, but she has two sons and all her old toys are little girl toys, so she had no use for them. I am superstitious, and for a long time believing foolishly that if I kept her girls’ toys I would be blessed with a granddaughter. Some part of me must have been laughing at my irrational belief, because when I finally decided to dump them, it was liberating indeed! And it freed up an entire three rows of new cupboard space!